Of Kings, Princes and Piglets
by Arhani 'Hanny' Daforcena
Summary: When a teacup piglet is sent to the Woodland Realm as a gift, Thranduil and his household fall in love with it because it is so cute, especially little Legolas. So what happens when everyone dotes on the little piglet?


It was a fine, summer morning when Galion approached Thranduil in his office, holding the tiniest creature imaginable in his hands. The thing was pink as can be, with beady, black eyes and the roundest nose.

"What is that?" Thranduil asked his faithful butler.

"This, my lord, is a teacup pig," Galion explained. "It is a gift from the Kingdom of Rhovanion." They always had good relations with the Elves, being distant cousins to the Noldor by virtue of Elros, son of Earendil, and having certain bonds of being brothers in arms with those of the Woodland Realm. Thranduil himself had fought by the side of the likes of Elendil and Isildur in the Wars of the Last Alliance, and remained to have congenial relations with their descendants.

Thranduil's eyes widened in utter marvel. "How is it possible that they are able to breed a pig to such a size?" he wondered as Galion placed the pig into his arms. The pig seemed to like him very much indeed, and seemed to nuzzle into his embrace with utter contentment.

Galion shrugged. "I haven't the faintest idea, my lord," he replied. "But, the emissary did mention that the Men of Eriador brought a whole pen of them to the King of Rhovanion, who wanted to share his new bounty with all his neighbors."

Within minutes, the pig started squirming and it almost escaped Thranduil's arms if he was not fast enough to grab hold of it. "Perhaps it is hungry," he suggested. "Galion, how much do you know about feeding pigs of this size?"

"I believe that one must not overindulge it, lest it grows to be as big as a regular pig," Galion mused with a furrowed brow. "Which is to say that it loses its..." his words failed him, for he was trying to find a proper word to describe the pig. "Eh... adorable qualities."

Thranduil nodded in understanding. Despite its size, there was no reason to think that this pig was not at all like other, normal-sized pigs. "Well then, since we have received such a kingly gift, we must treasure this little one, must we not?"

"How do you suppose we do that, my lord?" Galion asked. Being the King's butler, he only knew how to run the King's household. Since Thranduil rarely kept pets, apart from his battle-elk, he did not know how to deal with this little thing at all.

"First, you must find the emissary and ask him how do we feed this creature, and then, you shall give it to my son. It is about time he learns a tiny bit of responsibility, don't you think?"

Galion's expression brightened immensely. "My lord, you are a genius!" he exclaimed. "Prince Legolas would benefit greatly from this venture!" The young prince would most certainly learn to treasure a gift from a neighboring ally, a feat that would most certainly aid in the Woodland Realm's diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Rhovanion.

"Good, I shall expect to see both the piglet and my son in the evening before dinner," Thranduil proclaimed, dismissing Galion and returning to his kingly duties of approving budgets for the various councils that consisted of the government of the Woodland Realm.

* * *

><p>It was no surprise that Legolas squealed in delight when he received the pet pig, along with a bowl of succulent fruits and vegetables to feed it.<p>

"Your father expects you to take good care of it, little lord," Galion told Legolas as the Elfling was watching the piglet wolf its lunch down, for lack of a better word.

"I will, Galion!" Legolas chirped happily. "Can I teach it to do tricks?"

In all honesty, Galion did not know how to handle pigs at all. But, since Legolas was so enthusiastic about it, he decided to indulge the prince. "I do not see why not," he replied. "You must remember, little lord, that the survival of this pig is vital. The Men of Rhovanion would not want to be our allies if it is ill-treated in any way, am I understood?"

"Yes, Galion," Legolas answered in all of the authority a young Elvish princeling could muster. "I will make sure that it is well-fed, watered and cared for."

* * *

><p>True to his word, Legolas managed to teach the piglet to turn around in circles in exchange for a fat, juicy grape. Thranduil was immensely pleased of his son's progress.<p>

"Very good, Legolas," Thranduil said, patting his son's head. "But this piglet has to have a name. Have you thought of any for it?"

There was a pause from Legolas. He was deep in thought, ice-blue eyes focused upon the piglet intently. Then, his expression brightened. An idea had reached him and he was ready to speak it, but seconds later, he was back into the recesses of his mind again. This process was repeated over and over again, until he finally opened his mouth and proclaimed, "Its name shall be Piglet!"

"Piglet? But surely, this piglet would one day grow into a pig?" Thranduil asked his son.

"That may be, Ada, but it will always be a piglet in my mind."

Ah, the minds of growing children. There was so much wisdom in them although they did not realize it. Thranduil smiled and bent down to scratch Piglet's tiny head. "Mae govannen, Piglet, I hope that you can be very good friends with Legolas and I."

As if Piglet could understand him, it got up on its hind legs and nudged its nose to Tharnduil's knee.

"Piglet seems to like you, Ada!" Legolas said. It was a very happy evening for the princeling, and it beckoned many more to come.

"You must remember one thing, my son," Thranduil told Legolas in a very serious tone. "You must not overfeed it, or it would grow to be like normal pigs, and those cannot be kept in these halls Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Ada," Legolas nodded in understanding. "I won't let you down."

Thranduil smiled at his son's obedience. "Once a day is enough, remember that."

* * *

><p>In the coming weeks, Piglet became almost a mascot in the halls of the Elvenking. It was well-loved not only because terribly adorable, but also, it liked to keep itself very clean. The one thing Piglet enjoyed more than learning tricks and munching on fresh fruit, was to bathe. Given the architecture of Thranduil's halls, it would no longer be a surprise to see a certain piglet wading in the shallows where the Forest River cut through the halls.<p>

Wherever Legolas was, Piglet will be. In the schoolroom, in the training grounds, and even at the feet of the dinner table. Loved by all, Piglet was treasured, but things were not all perfect...

Now, it must be said that all young animals must grow. Piglet was not an exception. It grew steadily and surely, first being able to fit comfortably in Legolas' arms, but after two seasons, Piglet started to increase exponentially in size. The princeling was no longer able to carry it given his still-small physique, and thus, went everywhere with him by the use of a long leash made of silken cord tied loosely around its neck.

Then, it happened. One fateful day, Piglet had grown too wide to the bridge that led from the main gates to the throne room and feel squealing into the river. It took two guards to haul it back up and Thranduil knew that someone had been overfeeding the pig.

Thus, the King of the Woodland Realm set up an inquiry process. He summoned Legolas, Galion and the Head Chef of the kitchens.

"I thought I left clear instructions that Piglet is to only be fed once a day," Thranduil said in his most kingly voice. "Was it not made clear to all of you?"

An awkward silence surrounded those facing him. It seemed utterly evident to him that each and every one of them were guilty. Only Legolas had the courage to speak up to him.

"Ada, I really did feed Piglet only once a day!" Legolas defended himself with a tiny pout. He did not understand. He followed his father's instructions to the letter, how could Piglet grow so big?

At this precise moment, Galion and the Head Chef drooped their heads even lower. "We've... been feeding Piglet once a day as well," they admitted sorely.

The expression of exasperation upon Thranduil's face could rival that of Elrond's when the latter received guests with the rudest manners, but there was nothing anyone could do.

Left with no choice, the emissary had to be summoned and Piglet had to be returned to the Kingdom of Rhovanion. It was a sad, sad day for Legolas, but the princeling did his best to be well-behaved and strong, although his companion was going to leave his home.

"It is for the best, Legolas," Thranduil comforted his son. "We would not want Piglet to fall into the river again..."

"Yes, Ada," Legolas replied, nearly on the verge of tears. Bless his little heart.

However, when springtime came again, the emissary from Rhovanion returned, this time, he brought four teacup piglets, each as pink as Piglet was!

"My King was so pleased with how you took care of Piglet that he sent Piglet's issue to the Woodland Realm," the emissary said. "But this time, please be careful not to overfeed them!"

Now, not only did Legolas have a little teacup pig for himself, but so did Thranduil, Galion and the Head Chef! It was the happiest day in Legolas' life to have another adorable piglet for a pet, and for Thranduil, it was a happy day because he could see his son's smile returned.

The new piglet in his arms? It was just an added bonus.

* * *

><p>HAN: This drabble was written as a submission for the imaginexhobbit Tumblr, where the imagine was "Thranduil having a teacup pig for a pet". Yes, this is quite the stretch from the original prompt, but I did enjoy writing it, and Thranduil did have a pig of his own at the end. It is also worth mentioning that despite being in the LOTR fandom for many years, this is my very first fic, so I would appreciate all forms of feedback! Hannon lle~<p>

P.S: I totally decided not to do anything regarding Legolas' mother. All we know about her is that she died before Legolas could remember. If we use Peter Jackson's timeline, Legolas was 2931 during the War of the Ring, making this drabble to be set around... the year 120 of the Third Age. I'm stretching this because apparently Elflings tend to mature slower than human kids, so do bear with me.


End file.
